The top of the coconut finally cracks open. He laughs softly, then hands me the whole thing. Our fingers brush, and my toes curl. What he’s doing should be illegal.
“Careful. It’s heavy.” His voice strokes me like the softest velvet, delivering electric shivers.
Then he starts on the second one, working much faster than before. The strength, control and ease with which he handles himself is an aphrodisiac. Who would’ve thought watching your husband crack a coconut could be so erotic?
I squirm, shifting my weight left and right. It doesn’t do a thing to relieve the aching pressure building between my legs. The only one who can help is Ares. If we didn’t have pad Thai growing colder with every passing minute, I might be tempted to kiss him and let things run their natural course. Or if I didn’t think he was hungry after a long day at work…
Stop acting like a nympho. We can always have sex after dinner.
I close my eyes briefly, trying to master my out-of-control libido, then carry my large, hard coconut to the table. Aresbrings his, along with long straws for both of us. He smiles. “Bon appetit.”
I toast by lifting my coconut and taking a sip. He digs into the pad Thai, and I wait for his verdict with a raw-nerve anticipation I’ve never felt before. What if it’s awful? Although I thought pizza would be fine if I screwed up, I realize I want the first meal I’ve ever made to be delicious—and meet with his approval.
Is that normal…or clingy behavior? I debate for a moment. He’s been so good to me that I don’t want to do anything to disappoint or cause him distress of any kind. Relationships are so much harder than I expected, even if they’re temporary. I wish I had more experience, because then I’d know exactly what to do and not overanalyze.
Actually… I only overanalyze with Ares, like his opinion is critically important to me. Does that mean I care about him? And…more than I should, given what he said he wanted from me?
The possibility weighs down on the light, fluttery sensations in my belly that started when my husband walked in. Something heavy and painful settles in their place instead. Mulling, I move the noodles around on my plate.
“Lareina.” Ares’s soft voice stops me. “Are you all right?”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ares
My wife’s fork stops, the prongs still buried in the perfectly cooked rice noodles.What’s wrong?She seemed fine when I walked in with the flowers and coconuts. She flushed becomingly and watched me handle the hard-shelled fruit with a brilliant light in her gorgeous eyes. Does she have any idea how sexy she is when she watches me? Does she know how much I revel in her gaze, knowing that, in her eyes, I’m nothing like my mother?
My blood warmed, and I wanted to taste her lips more than the food. Hell, if she hadn’t made dinner herself, I might’ve said fuck it and ravished her on the spot.
But I didn’t want to appear as though I didn’t appreciate her effort, especially since she’s never cooked for us before. It’s probably a sign she’s beginning to think of this house as her home, too, after my effort to show her she can go anywhere and do whatever she wants. I don’t ever want her to feel like she’s confined to just the bedroom, living room and dining room.
As the silence stretches, I drop my gaze back to her plate. “Do you want me to taste it for you?” I ask gently. I should’ve thought about it, but since she prepped the meal, I assumed she wouldn’t need anybody to check her food first.
She blinks, then laughs softly. “Ah…no. I trust myself not to put in anything dangerous. I was just thinking…” She hesitates for a moment. “This coconut you brought is delicious.”
Her eyes meet mine, and she’s smiling. But the light from before is gone, and my lawyer’s instinct says she’s only being partially truthful. Of course, whatever she’s hiding is the more important part of the situation. Incisive, probing questions pour into my head, but…
Lareina isn’t a hostile witness on the stand. She’s my wife. If she’s upset enough to hide something from me, I need to figure out a way to coax it out of her and see if I can fix it.
So I smile back. “They’re better in Thailand.”
She cocks her head, tapping the end of the straw. “How?”
“Just fresher there, probably. Or maybe it’s the whole scene, the beach, the sun, the wind—lots of palm trees. There’s something magical about the place. Akiko took me there when I was a kid, and we went a few more times. I also went when I was an adult.”
“With Akiko?”
“No. Just by myself to relax. Plus a couple of times with my brothers.”
“You didn’t take your girlfriends?” Lareina sounds skeptical.Maybe even jealous?
When my exes started to get proprietorial, I ended the relationship. But with my wife, a sense of gratification swells. I like seeing proof that she cares—that she’s possessive of me and doesn’t mind showing a little claw to mark her territory.
“Why would I? I said to ‘relax.’” My exes were never relaxing. I frown a little as a realization strikes me. They were like a chore, a checklist of something to be done to prove I was okay to The Fogeys. But if I’d been with Lareina…
I would’ve definitely taken her with me. Would’ve loved to see her frolic on the gorgeous beach, as white sunlight broke over her water-beaded skin.
“We should go,” I say suddenly.
